The Beecham Group plc was a British pharmaceutical company. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Beecham, after having merged with SmithKline Beckman to become SmithKline Beecham, merged with Glaxo Wellcome to become GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). GSK still uses the Beechams brand name in the UK for its over-the-countercold and flu relief products.[1]

Beecham's Clock Tower built in 1877, the building still stands in St Helens, Merseyside today serving as the College Administrative centre.

Beecham was the family business of Thomas Beecham (1820–1907), a chemist. He was the grandfather of the conductor also named Thomas Beecham (1879–1961). As a boy, he worked as a shepherd, selling herbal remedies as a sideline. He then started as a travelling salesman or peddler.

Beecham opened its first factory in St. Helens, Lancashire, for the rapid production of medicines in 1859.[2] Under Thomas' son, Sir Joseph Beecham, 1st Baronet (1848–1916), the business expanded, but remained a patent medicine company and engaged in little research.

Beecham bought companies for various products, acquiring the Lucozade glucose drink and Macleans to its products in 1938 and, at the same time, introducing the Ribena blackcurrant drink.[4] By buying the company manufacturing Brylcreem the following year, it added hair products for men.[2]

In 1943, it decided to focus more on improving its research and built Beecham Research Laboratories.[2] In 1945, the company was named Beecham Group Ltd.[2]

In 1953, it bought C.L. Bencard, which specialised in allergy vaccines.[2]
In 1959, Brockham Park became famous when Beecham scientists there discovered the penicillin nucleus, 6-APA (6-aminopenicillanic acid);[5] this discovery allowed the synthesis of a number of new semisynthetic penicillins. In 1959, Beecham marketed Broxil (phenethicillin), followed shortly by Celbenin (methicillin), which is active against Staphylococcus aureus.
In 1961, Penbritin (ampicillin) hit the market, and soon Beecham's facilities were inadequate for the worldwide demand. A 35-acre (140,000 m2) complex at Worthing came on line in the early 1960s to produce phenethicillin, followed by 6-APA, the base for semisynthetic penicillins.